MELBOURNE: For some two hours, a shirtless Malaysian who referred to himself as the ‘Messiah’ held siege at the Little Ipoh Restaurant in Melbourne.
Police were called to the restaurant just after 1pm following reports that a man clutching a knife and fork was arguing with staff at the eatery, The Daily Mail reported.
The man charged at officers with his weapon when they arrived and was sprayed with pepper spray before barricading himself inside the Malaysian-owned restaurant - a popular location for busy students and workers in the city centre since 2014.
Speaking through the window he had smashed using the weapon, members of the Australian special operations group, carrying shields and assault rifles, negotiated from the street with the man, in his 20s,
He then threw a range of items from the window at police that included apples, oranges and a mobile telephone as he screamed from the window, pleading to speak to his mum and his “missus”.
Later, he was seen laying down beside the window wearing sunglasses and appeared to take photos of himself on his mobile phone, posing and making gestures towards the media assembled there.
Brandishing a knife, he eventually walked out of the second floor La Trobe Street restaurant just after 3pm, holding his bloodied hands in the air and still ranting as the heavily armed police rushed to him.
The Seven News website reported that after being handcuffed by police, he was taken away in an ambulance where he was treated for cuts to his hands and mentally assessed.
In a telephone interview, The Star’s Victoria Brown spoke to restaurant owner Raja Yasmin Raja Abdul, who relayed the account of what happened from her husband and store manager who did not want to be named.
“The man had visited my restaurant a couple of times before. He is Malaysian, but I don’t know his name. I only know that his nickname is Panjang because he is tall,” Raja Yasmin said.
The 44-year-old from Ipoh said the man was not a regular customer, but had visited a number of times, most recently on Saturday and Sunday.
“He seemed normal. And from previous conversations with him, he said that he had a job in Queensland, but he was now jobless due to some internal problems and had no money,” she said.
“He sounded depressed. So I encouraged him to ask around for jobs.”
Raja Yasmin said that the man only became aggressive after visiting her restaurant at around noon yesterday.
“He came in and told my manager that he was hungry and wanted to eat, but he had no money. My manager sensed that something was not right and said that she would bring him some food for free,” she said.
The manager said that the man was talking to himself and pacing around the restaurant.
“He would ask my manager weird things, and was talking nonsense and yelling. He then threatened her with a fork saying that he would kill her if she called the police.
“Thankfully, she managed to sneak out the back and call the police. My husband and three customers also got out quickly,” said Raja Yasmin.
She also clarified that there was no dispute or argument as reported by certain media publications.
“There has been quite a bit of damage to the restaurant. He pulled out our CCTV cameras, smashed our computer, broke glasses and jugs. He also took our money and threw it out the window.
“The mobile phone he was seen using was ours, and he threw it out as well,” she said, adding that she was just unlucky for having this happen to her restaurant.
“I pity him. I look at him and I feel sorry,” she said.
It was reported in Australia’s The Sun that Raja Yasmin’s husband was investigated by the authorities there for Immigration related matters last year.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
